Sport
23 November, 2023
Crucial clash between Magpies and Crows
Clunes and Beaufort meet in a crucial game at Bull Millgate Oval tomorrow which could all-but determine the fate of the one-day grand final. With three games remaining for both these two teams, a Beaufort win would see them move two games clear of...
Clunes and Beaufort meet in a crucial game at Bull Millgate Oval tomorrow which could all-but determine the fate of the one-day grand final.
With three games remaining for both these two teams, a Beaufort win would see them move two games clear of a chasing pack whichincludes Carisbrook, Maryborough and the Magpies, as well as a friendly quotient compared to the three teams.
However, a Clunes win will see them move to equal footing with the Crows, as well as enjoying a friendlier end to the one-day season, with clashes against the winless Colts and fourth-placed Maryborough.
Beaufort’s resurgence has been one of the big stories of the 2023/24 season thus far, and has come about thanks to reinforcements in their batting and bowling lineup.
Last season, just two batsmen — Lachlan Oddie and Blake Jantzen, passed 100 runs for the season.
At the halfway point of this season, Oddie (258 runs) has been joined by Jack Smith (146) and Kriss Ellis (132) in scoring over 100 runs, with the likes of Shannon Brown (69), Joe Kingsbury (57) and Jantzen (53) also on track to join the trio.
Similarly, after taking just 38 wickets across all three grades last season, the Crows have already exceeded that tally after eight games, with Jay English a clear leader on top of the wicket-taking tallies with 14. Oddie, for his part, has taken nine, while two brilliant stints of bowling from Jantzen has seen him move to seven wickets for the season.
Dan Quixley has also emerged as a legitimate strike option as well, and comes into this game in good form after taking a five-wicket haul against Talbot in the Crows’ A reserve clash.
They will need to be wary of a Clunes outfit that was able to beat them by 52 runs in their last meeting, however, having fallen to 6/17 during that game.
In that particular outing at Mr Mobility Oval, it was Noah Davies that did the bulk of the damage, top-scoring with 29 after a late cameo, before taking 3/13 off his four overs.
The Magpies, while perhaps a touch inconsistent at times, have shown during the season that their best cricket is able to compete with anyone.
While they will be hurting from their T20 grand final loss, which saw them go down to Laanecoorie Dunolly by six wickets after leaving them 4/55 at one stage, the Magpies showed that they were able to put the reigning champions under some significant pressure.
Central to that has been their bowling team, which has seen front-line bowlers Ash Gunn, Davies, Jaxon Smyth, Brett Coon and Mark Allen combine for 34 wickets, while Lachlan Morganti emerged as a wildcard in the T20 final with two wickets of his own.
With the willow, a number of players were able to get their eye in for their A reserve clash with Carisbrook during their week off, with Jude McGuire’s 87 and Morganti’s 51 standout innings.
Clunes will be hoping to get starts converted into big scores on Saturday, particularly from the likes of Mitch Coppick (186 runs), Morganti (142), Brenton Jones (87) and Mark Allen (74), which will be imperative to keep their one-day hopes alive.
Note: This game may not go ahead due to forecast rain on Saturday.